Greg Oden, the luckless No. 1 pick of the 2007 NBA Draft, offered a hard-hitting and revealing interview with Grantland’s Mark Titus, in which he touches on his battle with alcoholism; the truth behind the supposed “basketball-related” injury that kept him out of the first half of his freshman season at Ohio State; the death of his best friend that same year; the nude photo of himself that was leaked over the Internet; and his plans to try to get back into the NBA after three microfracture surgeries and being cut by the Portland Trail Blazers in March.

Among the highlights:

• Oden injured his wrist just before he got to Ohio State, but he did not hurt it playing basketball. He actually damaged ligaments in a fight with his “hotheaded younger brother," Anthony. Greg’s “success has always been a wedge between him and Anthony,” Titus writes.

• Just after a 19-point, six-rebound performance in a two-point home win over Michigan State, Oden learned that his best friend, Travis Smith, died in a car accident the same night, and the loss still haunts him.

• After Oden’s promising first season in the NBA, 2008-09, his cousin, an Air Force veteran, moved into his house in Portland, and Oden thought he may finally have the role model he sought.

But, Oden said, "If you know anything about guys in the Air Force, it's that they drink a ton. My cousin got wrapped up in the NBA lifestyle and threw parties at my house all the time. So I got wrapped up in it too. When I played well, I'd drink to celebrate. And when I played poorly, I'd drink to forget. That second year in Portland I pretty much became an alcoholic."

• The following offseason, Oden got himself right—he stopped drinking, hired a cook to make him healthy meals, and got himself into the best shape of his life, according to Titus. But he suffered another season-ending injury 20 games into the ’09-10 season and hasn’t played in another NBA game since.

• Oden says he’s “not going to apologize” for the nude picture of himself that made its way around the Internet. "I'm human and there are worse things that 21-year-olds could do,” Oden said. “I just got caught up with women throwing themselves at me. When a girl sends me 100 pictures, I have to send something back every now and then. I'm not an a------."

• Oden’s plan is to take the entire 2012-13 season off and move back to Columbus, where he’ll rehab his knee back and continue working toward a degree at Ohio State. While no player in NBA history has returned from three microfracture surgeries, he wants to sign with a team in 2013.

"I don't care about what all of these injuries mean for any legacy I might have," he told Titus. "I just want to play basketball. I could've signed with a team after Portland cut me and just sat on the bench and collected paychecks, but that's not my style. That just seems really unethical. Besides, money doesn't matter to me. I've got enough money. All I want is to get 100 percent healthy and get back on the court."